Share This Story!

Organizational report: Pirates' breakout season raises the bar

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the winter basking in the glow of being one of the best stories of 2013, a year in which they had their first winning season and made their first postseason appearance since 1992.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the winter basking in the glow of being one of the best stories of 2013, a year in which they had their first winning season and made their first postseason appearance since 1992.

However, the offseason is almost over and there likely will be a different feeling when the Pirates assemble in Bradenton, Fla., for the beginning of spring training. For the first time in more than two decades, the Pirates are expected to contend despite having a relatively quiet offseason.

"I do think they have a belief now in place that they haven't been able to hold on to," manager Clint Hurdle says of Pirates fans. "It's not just hope anymore. They saw tangible evidence of a team that could show up, play, compete and they were proud of. We need to give them more of that."

On the surface, the Pirates look like a weaker team than the one that took the eventual National League champion St. Louis Cardinals to a full five games before bowing out in the division series.

First baseman Justin Morneau and right fielder Marlon Byrd — both acquired in late August trades — left as free agents, and the Pirates plan to fill those holes internally. Another first baseman, Garrett Jones, was not tendered a contract and became a free agent.

After contemplating retirement since the end of last season, right-hander A.J. Burnett decided he will return for his 16th season. Burnett, however, remains a free agent, and the Pirates signed Edinson Volquez to fill the potential hole in the rotation. Volquez had a dreadful 2013 season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yet the Pirates remain optimistic they can be contenders again.

"I watched the World Series and couldn't help but wonder about what might have been," says center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who won the NL MVP award last season. "We took the Cardinals to the limit, gave them everything we had, so it was hard not to think that it could have been us playing the Red Sox in the World Series."

***

Where the Pirates stand at each position (*prospect):

Catcher: Russell Martin became one of Pittsburgh's key players last season after being signed as a free agent. He hit 15 home runs, led the NL by throwing out 36 would-be basestealers and drew high marks for handling the pitching staff. Chris Stewart was acquired in a trade from the New York Yankees to provide strong defense in a backup role after Michael McKenry was not tendered a contract. Martin can become a free agent after this season, and the Pirates are hopeful Tony Sanchez, their first-round draft pick in 2009 who will begin the season with Class AAA Indianapolis, will be ready for the starting job by 2015.

First base: Gaby Sanchez was an All-Star in 2011 with the then-Florida Marlins, but that is the high-water mark of his career. He does not have the power-hitting ability normally associated with first basemen and usually struggles mightily against right-handed pitching. Left-handed hitting Andrew Lambo belted 32 home runs between Indianapolis and Class AA Altoona (Pa.) last season, and he will have a chance to work his way into a platoon situation with Sanchez after the Pirates failed in their attempt to sign James Loney as a free agent. Left-handed hitting Chris McGuiness also could be a factor after being obtained from the Texas Rangers in a December trade.

Second base: Switch-hitting Neil Walker is a steady all-around player, though almost all of his power comes batting left-handed. His 16 home runs last season were the most by a Pirates second baseman since Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski also hit 16 in 1966. Another pleasant development for the Pirates in 2013 was that Walker raised his walk rate and lowered his strikeout rate. Josh Harrison provides line-drive hitting and versatility but has minimal power and no plate discipline. Clint Barmes will serve as the primary utility infielder after playing regularly at shortstop the previous two seasons. Robert Andino should provide infield depth at Indianapolis.

Depth chart: Walker, Harrison, Barmes, Chase d'Arnaud, Andino.

***

Third base: Pedro Alvarez started to come into his own last season as his 36 home runs tied the Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt for the NL lead and he became the first player in major league history to drive in a run in each of his first six postseason games. Now Alvarez needs to figure out a way to cut down on the strikeouts and hit lefties. He is erratic defensively with a tendency to makes errors in bunches on overthrows with his strong arm, though he comes in on balls as well as any third baseman in the game.

Depth chart: Alvarez, Harrison, Barmes, Andino, Michael Martinez.

***

Shortstop: Jordy Mercer gradually took playing time away from Barmes last season, though he was on the bench for most of the postseason as Hurdle decided to go with the better glove man. Mercer is an upgrade offensively and hit .347 in September. The Pirates think he can become a better defensive player under the continuing mentorship of Barmes. Alen Hanson is the future at the position and will begin the upcoming season at Altoona. The 21-year-old is one of the most athletic players in the Pirates system with outstanding speed and the body control to make acrobatic plays at shortstop.

Depth chart: Mercer, Barmes, Harrison, d'Arnaud, Andino, *Hanson.

***

Left field: In his first full season in the major leagues, Starling Marte became the third player in Pirates history to have 10 triples, 12 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season, joining Jake Stenzel (1894) and Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler (1925). Marte also led the NL with a .402 batting average against left-handed pitching. Travis Snider hit .215 with five homers last season while dealing with foot problems, and the Pirates think he can contribute more this year after having surgery. Jaff Decker, acquired from the Padres in a December trade, will challenge for a bench job.

Depth chart: Marte, Snider, Lambo, Harrison, Decker.

***

Center field: In less than five full seasons, McCutchen has become the sixth Pittsburgh player to have 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases in his career, joining Hall of Famer Paul Waner, Barry Bonds, Dave Parker, Andy Van Slyke and Al Martin. Signed as minor league free agents, Martinez and Chris Dickerson will get a look in spring training as the potential backup to McCutchen, though Marte is also a natural center fielder and can fill in on McCutchen's rare off days. McCutchen is signed through 2018, and that means Barrett Barnes, 22, who has been slowed by injuries in his first two professional seasons, could eventually be trade bait.

Depth chart: McCutchen, Marte, Dickerson, Martinez, *Barnes.

***

Right field: Jose Tabata lost his starting job late last August when the Pirates traded for Byrd. However, Byrd signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, and Tabata likely will get his job back after hitting .312 in the final two months of last season. Tabata has four years left on his six-year, $15 million contract but now would be a good time for the 25-year-old to assert himself because top prospect Gregory Polanco could be ready to push for the starting job by midseason. Polanco was the MVP in the Dominican winter league and is expected to begin the season with Indianapolis. The lanky 6-4, 170-pound left-handed hitter has plenty of power potential along with good speed and could wind up being a 30-home run/30-stolen base player in the major leagues.

Depth chart: Tabata, Snider, Lambo, Harrison, *Polanco.

***

Starting pitchers: Francisco Liriano won 16 games in his first season with the Pirates, then aided victories in each of his two postseason starts. While Liriano is considered the staff ace, Gerrit Cole likely will take that honor at some point, perhaps even as early as some time this season. Wandy Rodriguez will try to return from left forearm stiffness that caused him to miss the last four months of last season and prompted him to exercise the $13 million player option in his contract for this season rather than explore free agency. Charlie Morton would have been eligible for free agency at the end of this season but instead signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension in December after making a strong comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery. The Pirates signed Volquez to a one-year, $5 million contract as a free agent even though he had the worst ERA of any major league qualifier last season at 5.71. The organization's top pitching prospect, Jameson Taillon, will start off at Indianapolis and is likely to make his major league debut this summer. Taillon made his biggest impression in the World Baseball Classic where he pitched four solid innings for Canada against the USA. Left-hander Jeff Locke could wind up in the bullpen after making the All-Star Game as a starter last season before collapsing in the second half.

Bullpen: Jason Grilli finally got a chance to be a major league closer last season at 36 and converted 33 of 35 save opportunities while being selected to the All-Star Game. Though Grilli missed a month in the second half with a strained elbow, he threw 31/3 scoreless innings and had a save in the postseason. Mark Melancon is the primary setup man and coming off an outstanding 2013 in which his 1.39 ERA was the best in Pirates history among pitchers who worked at least 50 innings exclusively in relief. He also can close if something happens to Grilli. Left-hander Tony Watson was unscored upon after Aug. 3, a span of 21 games and 201/3 innings, and is effective against left-handed and right-handed hitters.

During the offseason, Andrew McCutchen became the first Pirates player to win National League MVP award since Barry Bonds in 1992. Clint Hurdle was the first Pittsburgh manager to win NL manager of the year since Jim Leyland in the same year.

The awards capped a season that ended in a division series loss but celebrated the re-emergence of the Pirates as a playoff team following a two-decade slumber.

"I definitely felt I could be a big part of it (a turnaround), and I definitely felt we had the guys and the tools to be a winning team," said McCutchen, 27, who debuted in 2009. "It was going to take some time, but I knew eventually it was going to happen."

McCutchen received 28 of 30 first-place votes; Hurdle got 25 of 30. The Pirates were the only team to win more than one of the season's major awards. Francisco Liriano won NL comeback player of the year.

The 2013 Pirates had a 15-win improvement, finishing 94-68. At the winter meetings in December, Hurdle, who managed the Colorado Rockies from 2002-2009 and played 10 big-league seasons as mostly an outfielder, spoke of his need to embrace change, such as an abundance of statistics.

"From a traditionalist view, I'm one of the older guys in the building," said Hurdle, who led the Rockies to the 2007 World Series. "Tradition can be wonderful, but it can also be a vision killer. ... I played in an era where a hard ground ball up the middle was a base hit nine out of 10 times. Now it might be a base hit two out of 10 times. So if the information is there, it's real, it plays out, you're really not doing the best job you can to help your team win if you're not paying attention to it."

From staff and wire reports

***

PROSPECTS

RHP Tyler Glasnow: The 6-7, 195-pounder was the breakout star in the Pirates' farm system last season, when he went 9-3 with a 2.18 ERA in 24 starts in low-A ball. He led the South Atlantic League with 164 strikeouts in 1111/3 innings while allowing 54 hits. Glasnow has trouble repeating his delivery, as evidenced by his 61 walks, but the 20-year-old has a fastball that reaches 99 mph and a good curveball. Glasnow was lightly recruited during high school in Santa Clarita, Calif., and the Pirates persuaded him to turn pro rather than attend the University of Portland (Ore.) after drafting him in the fifth round in 2011.

SS Alen Hanson: Signed as an international amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2009, Hanson, 21, hit a combined .274 with 30 stolen bases in 127 games last season between high A and Class AA. He is expected to begin this season back in ClassAA with a possible late-season promotion to Class AAA. The biggest question about Hanson is if he has the arm strength to play shortstop in the major leagues. The Pirates will keep Hanson at the position for now and maybe for the long term. He could be in line to join the major league club's starting lineup by sometime in 2015.

RHP Jameson Taillon: The second overall pick in 2010, the 6-6, 235-pounder has a fastball that sits at 92-95 mph with good sink, along with a big-breaking curveball and improving changeup. Taillon, 22, pitched in Classes AA and AAA last season, going a combined 5-10 with a 3.73 ERA in 25 starts.

OF Gregory Polanco: Polanco, 22, has been one of the best finds for Pirates Latin American scouting coordinator Rene Gayo. Polanco was a pitcher as an amateur in the Dominican Republic. But Gayo offered him a $150,000 bonus to sign with the Pirates as a free agent in 2009 on the condition he play the outfield and Polanco is their top hitting prospect.